Four Sukkot, One Willow Tree, and a Month of Chagim at Rutgers

“On Campus, I Go for Me”: Tishrei at JLIC Rutgers

On Yom Kippur afternoon, a Rutgers student explained to Rav Matthew and Rebbetzin Yael Nitzanim what davening on campus feels like.

“At home, I go to shul for my parents. On campus, I go for me.”

That line sums up Tishrei at JLIC Rutgers. At home, the chagim run on a family routine. On campus, every student decides for themselves whether to show up. The Nitzanim, JLIC’s directors at Rutgers, spent the month giving students reasons to show up and chances to lead.

Students at the amud

The month opened with a Minyan Challenge. Students who punched their minyan card ten times during the two weeks of Slichot earned a pre-Yom Kippur trip to 16 Handles. Students filled both sides of the mechitza, and many of them kept coming after the challenge ended.

By Yom Kippur, students ran much of the davening themselves. Ten students volunteered to lead. They led Kol Nidrei, Maariv, and Mincha, read from the Torah, and gave Biur Tefila to explain the prayers to their friends. One student spoke on Shabbat Shuva, and another led Shacharit on Hoshana Rabbah.

As Ne’ilah ended, the room felt electric, and students broke into dancing to “L’shana Haba’ah.” On Simchat Torah, JLIC Rutgers honored four students as Chatan and Kallat Torah and Chatan and Kallat Bereishit for their dedication to the community.

Torah for the bus ride

After a full year at Rutgers, the Nitzanim noticed how much time students spend stuck on campus buses. They decided to give students something to listen to on the ride, and Bus Kol was born.

The podcast is an informal conversation between Rav Matthew and Rebbetzin Yael about the parts of Jewish life students run into on campus. The first four episodes form a mini-series built around the chagim, covering connecting to tefillah, honest self-assessment, hosting, and Torah learning. You can listen at jlicrutgers.podbean.com.

Four sukkot, one campus

It started with a WhatsApp message. A student posted in the local community group: “Does anyone know where I can get a Sukkah for cheap? College student lol.”

Rebbetzin Yael saw it and reached out. The student wanted a sukkah near her home so she could eat her meals there all Chag. With help from a few observant neighbors, she got one in the “shtetl,” the off-campus neighborhood where many Jewish students live.

The Busch campus sukkah came out of a conversation about lunch. The Nitzanim oversaw the halachic side of the Hillel sukkah on College Ave, and they noticed a problem. Students on Busch campus, including plenty of engineers, couldn’t get to College Ave between classes. One told them, “My plan is to just skip lunch and have dinner when I come back from classes at 9pm.”

With a donated sukkah and some coordination with the University, the Nitzanim put one up at the Student Center, the most central spot on that campus.

The Hillel sukkah made three. The fourth sits at the Nitzanim home, where they hosted out-of-state students and students with exams right after Yom Tov who stayed on campus for the first days. They served a gluten-, sesame-, and nut-free meal so everyone at the table could eat.

Rabbi Jachter came for his annual Sukkot visit, this year in the Nitzanim sukkah. He brought his warm energy and uplifting Torah, and his former TABC talmidim got time with their rebbe.

A willow tree at Passion Puddle

Back in August, Rav Matthew was meeting freshmen at Passion Puddle when he noticed a willow tree.

Could JLIC use it for aravot on Hoshana Rabbah? The Nitzanim tracked down the Campus Foreman, who agreed to help and invited the group to watch as his team trimmed the branches. Students got to ask the person who keeps their campus green about the work he does every day.

Then the students reviewed the halachot of aravot and bundled the branches themselves for Hoshana Rabbah davening.

Ending the month together

The Simchat Torah weekend kicked off with a mocktail night. The Espresso Martini and the Grapefruit Rosemary Spritz got rave reviews. Rebbetzin Yael led a discussion on dancing in the service of Hashem, which got everyone ready for hakafot.

When the chag ended, the Nitzanim opened their home again. Students looked back on a month of new beginnings, of balancing schoolwork with Yamim Tovim, and each shared one takeaway to carry forward. The same two themes came up again and again: friendship and community.

Going to shul “for me”

Back to that student on Yom Kippur afternoon. Davening “for me” doesn’t happen by accident in college. It happens when a student has a sukkah near class and an invitation to lead. At Rutgers, Rav Matthew and Rebbetzin Yael make sure students have both.

If you know a student at Rutgers, or one headed there, tell them to find the Nitzanim, or to start with an episode of Bus Kol on their next ride across campus. There’s a seat at the Nitzanim table waiting for them.